life in general….

Tag Archives: boarding school

There are so many things lately that bug me and I stop and think…hmmmm, I should blog about that….and then the inevitable happens and I lose my track and train of thought.

On my heart at the moment is my very homesick little chap. The last two weeks he was very happy and even told me he didn’t miss me that much, only when he went to bed and when he woke up in the morning. But this week has been dismal.

This whole boarding school lark is not for sissies. Especially for an 8-year-old. Aidan asked me the other day, why we were doing this to him. Why were we sending him away when we knew how much it upset him?

Oh my shattered heart! How do you answer that?

Well I chose the frank route and this is what I said: “I said boy, Dad and I love you so much and we want the best for you. There is no school close enough for you to go to. We want you to be with other boys and play sport and have an excellent teacher. You go to an excellent school and you have an amazing teacher. You are so lucky to go ^%$$##@ College.” I never bad mouth teachers.

He listened and nodded.

I said; “Do you understand that?”

Aidan replied “Yes”.

But your heart still bleeds for a homesick little boy. And I lie in bed and I wonder if he’s warm enough. Is he understanding all his work? Are the teachers kind? Is he eating healthily or only eating the “nice” stuff on his plate? Does he understand that sending him away is our only choice and that we still love him?

But the proof is in the pudding. He got a great report. He has friends. I’ve met the hostel teachers and the are lovely and truly have the boys best interests at heart. His class teacher is the COMPLETE BUSINESS, Young and energetic and strict. She understands little boys and from whence they hail from.

So the root is Aidan and the root is me. We have to both get used to not being together.

my bag would probably classify as a bit of a “whore se handsak” (whore’s handbag)

it’s full of till slips

coins in the bottom

Some of Aidan’s magnets and rubber egg lookalikes

old tissues to wipe up Molly’s nose

hidden away choco wrappers so John can’t see how many chocolates I’ve eaten. (remember the old rule? If no-one sees you eat it…it never was)!!!

wallet

cheque books…yes we still use them in the platteland. Almost phased out though.

my kindle

Beautiful by Estee Laude

My faithful Revlon lipstick that lasts for 24 hours

keys to my showroom

one or two Rennies covered in fluff at the botom of my bag

my iphone

phew!! now I feel quiet violated….. never realised how revealing that could be.

On another note, Molly did well yesterday with her second day of school. I cannot enthuse enough at how FANTASTIC that school is.

Aidan has his ups and downs. He seems to be enjoying school but starts wobbling when we phone him at night. He tells us how much he misses us. Breaks my heart but I remain firm in our descision to send him to that school. He is blossoming there acedemically and on the sports field. Everything is geared for boys and the way they think. and today is Friday, my favourite day of the week. Yay! I fetch him today!

But first I need to drive to my showroom and meet a potential BIG customer there this morning. Feel positive about the potential business. Contract framing work for a big company.

So, so enjoying this new phase of my life. I have direction with Molly, and Aidan is doing well at his school. Plus the new Moms I’ve met at Aidan’s school are a hoot a minute and I’m enjoying their company very much. They are a bunch of straight talking farmers wives. They’re up to date, zhoozsh, and entertaining!

Today’s visit at Molly’s potential school went MILES better than I imagined. John met Mrs K (principal) and then I took Molly and John to meet Edith Wilson(phase 1 teacher and Makaton teacher). Molls thought the class was the business! She loved it and fitted right in. In fact on our way out after sitting in the class and chatting to the teacher, all the kids lined up and held hands to walk to the playground, a little boy put his hand out to grab Molly and said: “come”. It was so sweet and my heart just melted. Molls was keen as anything to go with but we were still discussing things with Edith.

It sounds like we can take her once a week but Mrs K wants to confirm it with the HOD and Edith said she’d like Molly in her class. (this was after she’d heard Molly shrieking with excitement and clapping her hands and walking from this child to that child) Apparently Dr A-K phoned her yesterday to discuss it with her. Everything has fallen into place and I pray the last bit will fall into place too(the CONFIRMATION OF HER ACCEPTANCE!!!!!!)

Aidan had a complete meltdown on the phone on Tuesday night and sobbed and begged me to come and fetch him, he kept saying that he wanted to go to Mrs Nieve’s school, please mommy, please mommy! Well we didn’t phone last night. I phoned tonight and he was a chirpy as anything, cheerful. I was so pleased because after I put the phone down on Tuesday night, I sobbed and wailed like a baby! John had to console me and give me lots of attention.

So, I’ve survived the first week of boarding school and the handing in of Molls’ application form and school visit. Quite emotionally draining.

I was saying to John’s tonight that I never realised how much you’d miss the kids, I mean I knew you would, but I never realised quite how much. I’ve been so preoccupied with myself and haven’t been there to pat you on the back….

Uuuugh who feels like work? not me. lazy slug that I am today. feel like curling up with The Family Frying Pan by Bryce Courtney.

Unfortunately, need to put in a few hours today and….. who am I kidding, once I get started I love it!

Watched a movie on Saturday night and someone said on the movie that Blogging is not real writing just Graffiti with lots of exclamation marks! Well, being someone whose punctuation leaves a lot to be desired, I blushed and smarted at this remark. Blind one there!

What do you think?

Dropped Aidan off yesterday. He was very excited and brave. A bit like a lamb to the slaughter….

I cried when we drove off and have been fine ever since except for the lack of sleep and feeling tearful today… I’m fine. I don’t have a choice. So proud of my little chap, all his little friends, his little bed in the dorm. There are 5 boys in the dorm. 4 of them are farm boys and the 5th lives nearby. There are 20 boys in the hostel. Mostly from surrounding farming areas. Excellent hostel parents, 5 foundation phase teachers on duty with homework and general hostel duties, a lovely granny-type woman as a matron.

So today I phone at half 6 and I’ll see if he survived his 1st day.

Seriously? When I was pregnant with Aidan, I clearly didn’t get the memo about boarding school and sewing on all those name tags!!!!!!!

Well tomorrow we head off into the drop off zone! I’ve packed and marked and repacked again and again. Nothing left to do except cook all his favourite meals. Our main meal is at lunch and today I’ve made roast lamb, roast potatoes, veg and vanilla icecream for puds. We leave at at half one tomorrow. Boo Hoo.

I’m actually feeling fine. I think having a doctor sit across from you and tell you that your daughter is cerebral palsy sort of shifts things into perspective. Sending my excited (normal) little boy to hostel, where he’s going to a good (normal)school, have lots of fun, learn new sports, play and bond with lifelong friends doesn’t seem so bad? does it?

He has new linen, duvet covers, good quality sheets(he’s my child after all), pillow slips. All in funky bright stripes. I’ve used Ouma’s old feather pillow and told him that Ouma’s his guardian angel and when he gets sad he must know that she’s watching him. (he loved that and laughed and fell on his pillow and patted it and said hello Ouma) These kids, so funny and filled with little quirks.

Aidan has a new uniform from new blazer, shirts, stationery, shorts, track suit and so on and so on. about R4000 worth. Bloody hell. John and I went quiet weak at the knees!

New, New Balance tackies, two new pairs of summer PJ’s, new jocks, new black crocs (regulation, don’t judge me), school shoes, school bag and a shite load more.

So think of me tomorrow. I’ve planned not to cry, thanks to my little white pill from Dr M.

Will I miss him? ummmmmmmmmm yes! what do you think? I’m not made of stone

Well the countdown has begun, only 6 days until we drop Aidan off at hostel. Thankfully he is very excited and well, we’ll go with that. Reality can settle in when he’s lying on the single bed listening to the sounds of 7 other Grade 2 boys breathing in the dark, in the dorm. Except I’ll be 65kms away watching the 8pm M-Net movie on Sunday night trying not to cry. I pray for God’s protection over him.

Boo hoo.

An end of an era. No more jettsetting at a moments notice. No more taking a weeks leave at anytime for a break.

We’ve hit school rules. School regime. Sport. Meetings. A teacher I don’t know from Adam that may or may not give me the time of day.

Oh well, we all have to grow up sometime. New friends to make. New memories to enjoy.

I got quiet a lot a flak this holiday from people who disapproved of me sending Aidan away to boarding school so young. What the fuck am I to do? If that’s the closest decent school, then that’s the closest decent school!

Don’t you hate it when someone gives you an indirectly cold shoulder? You know you’ve done something and you can’t think what?

It’s funny in some way and it takes me back to boarding school days. You know when you’re in std 7 and you and your BFF have a tiff. Then she very pointedly takes her plate of food, with nose in the air, and sits with someone you don’t really like. No words spoken, but battle lines have been drawn. Then it’s the quickest to get everybody to takes sides. The winner is the one who has drawn more people to her side. eg more people hanging around her laughing at her stories and jokes while the other is hopefully, sitting on their own, minus friends.

That’s a sign of a true victory. You happy and surrounded by friends and the estranged BFF cowering on her own with feigned indifference. Kids, especially teenagers, can be cruel. I must say the older we got, the less those kind of things happened. We sort of settled into a good rhythm in std 8, 9 and matric.

For me hostel was lovely. You always had friends to talk to. I remember going to the loo in matric at 2am one night, and there sat 3 girls curled up on the novilon in the bathroom, bitching about their lives. ‘coz, you know, you’re fked up when you’re in your teens. So I remember sitting down and and joining the conversation. And we shared problems that night and solutions and heavy stuff. Hurtful, painful and deep things. You’re thrown in with a bunch of girls, mostly from good, stable families, in the same boat as you. Hormones coursing through your veins. Same controversial, rebellious outlook on life.

I think that’s why I have such sympathy for teenagers. It’s an awesome yet also crappy time in your life. Your whole life feels off kilter.

All those things you read in Spud are true. The pecking order in the dormitory. The nerdy, gross person osterisized. The bully’s leading and laying down the law. Spud being teased and crying. I feel a bit like Spud. (a girl Spud) ‘coz I wasn’t nerdy and I wasn’t rebellious. And my folks drove an old clapped Opel Kadett. (at the time I didn’t care though). I was a middle of the road child, LOVED English, loved reading. So I love the Spud books, takes me back, to those days.

Did you know that the 4th Spud is being released soon, In August I think?

I’m quiet excited. You see, they make me laugh. And as you know, I LOVE LAUGHING.